Tag Archive for: church

Complete

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Five-Minute Friday – COMPLETE                 

You need a man to complete you
After all, without a man—you’re only 1
Now that you have a man,
You need a child or 2.
After 2 children—
Well, now you’re complete.

I’m tired, busy, broke,
But do I feel complete?
Content, yet weary, most days
When day is done—I ask myself,
There must be more, isn’t there?
Family, work, church, friends—
What more could I desire?

That God-shaped hole in all of us appeared.
Something felt backwards.
As dearly as I love my children, grandchildren, family, friends, home …
My priorities were messed up.
Circumstances showed me the proper order:
God, spouse, family and friends, then work and so on.
A man, child, home or pet does not make me complete.
Only God can fill my every longing deep within my soul.
I stand complete in Him!!!

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you

*****

This post is part of the weekly Five-Minute Friday link-up!
The prompt this week is: Complete
The assignment: Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write.

Fried Green tomatoes anyone?

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(Photo by Teresa)

I eagerly watch as my first green tomato crop grows heartily on the vine. I can almost taste the juicy, red tomato next to a bacon slice surrounded by leafy lettuce all sandwiched between two pieces of toast.

But patient I must be. The harvest can’t be hurried. However there are things I can do to promote success such as.

*Faithful watering

*Adequate sunshine

*Occasional fertilizing

The sturdy vine connects to the branches that support the tomato. If for some reason, the branch becomes detached from the vine, the growth process stops. Fruit cannot happen without its source of strength.

The apostle John talks about how God is the gardener in John 15:1, 4–5. “I am the vine, and my Father is the gardener … remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Just like the sturdy vine connects to the branches supporting the tomato, God is the vine of protection. There are certain things I can do in order to strengthen the vine such as:

*Spending time in prayer and reading the Bible

*Seeking out spiritual mentors and friends

*Regular church attendance with those of like faith

Without a combination of the above, life becomes unbalanced. We need God and each other to survive and thrive.

Do you feel connected to the vine? If so, in what way?

***

From tears of sorrow to tears of joy

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I began the day in tears thinking about missing my own dear Mom. One word that described my mother would be “Encourager.” My Mom was my biggest cheerleader. If she only knew how far I’ve come along with my dream of writing and publishing … she’d be waving those imaginary pom-poms and saying, “You go, girl. I am so proud of you!”

But she isn’t here to wish a Happy Mother’s Day. On July 23, 1990 (a very sad day indeed) God chose to bring her home to him. How could such a good woman, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and daughter be taken from us at such a young age? Yet I know that God’s “thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8).

I wasn’t even sure I could hold it together enough to attend church, but I’m happy to say that the day ended with me feeling thankful and blessed! Our church orchestra and choir played and sang awesome music. God knew just what I needed to hear — He is all we need (Sing to the King). I spent time after the service chatting with some friends.

I felt blessed beyond measure on all counts by the end of the day. God is indeed awesome! God filled in the gaps of missing my own Mom with other’s love and generosity …

  • Amanda, our daughter, came to the house bearing cool gifts for me (she has excellent taste!). Steve’s (my husband) mother came over to visit.
  • The 4 of us enjoyed a picnic on the deck under beautiful sunny skies
  • Andrew, our son, and his wife called from Minnesota and wished me Happy Mother’s Day. I also received a lovingly hand-crafted card and bookmark from the family.
  • Steve grilled yummy steaks and asparagus on the grill
  • Chat time on our patio swing
  • Later, Amanda, Steve and I toured on our motorcycles up north and walked around Long Lake Park. The 2 photography geeks took photos of spring bursting forth.

***

Sing to the King

Come, let us sing a song
A song declaring that we belong to Jesus,
He is all we need.
Lift up a heart of praise,
Sing now with voices raised to Jesus,
Sing to the King.

Mother’s Day Muse

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What causes a Mother’s heart to rejoice? 

     *  A phone call from your beloved children wishing you a “Happy Mother’s Day”

     *  Sitting  next to a dear friend and Mom in church on Mother’s Day

     *  Sing “How Great Thou Art” with choir and orchestra

     *  Receive hugs and a “Happy Mother’s Day” greeting from other Moms

     *  Host a meal for my mother-in-law, then visit a condo open house together

     *  Catch up with stop-by friends from the past

     *  Leisurely motorcycle ride to the lake 

 ***